Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi yesterday urged school heads not to send students home for fees because residents are suffering from drought.
“A large population of people depend on livestock as their economic mainstay. They sell animals to raise school fees for their children. But currently there is nothing for them to sell,” Abdi said.
The governor said it would be ‘inhuman and unwise’ for school heads to send students home under the prevailing circumstances.
He spoke in the Wajir ICT hall when he led the disbursement of Sh82 million bursary cheques to 8,890 secondary and 2,780 college students.
The county is experiencing a severe drought, which has led to depletion of pasture and water.
“We understand that it is difficult to run the schools without money and that is why we decided to release the bursaries to the institutions well before the schools are opened.”
Eligible students were identified from all the 30 wards through the County Bursary Committee.
He directed the education department, and ward and county bursary committees to undertake post-disbursement monitoring to check on any gaps and prepare a report.
The governor commended the other bursary providers, saying there is a need to have a standardised operating procedure on the management of bursaries that will allow needy students to benefit.
“By establishing a common registry and only target the needy and deserving cases, I am fully convinced that no student will miss fees to advance his or her education,” he said.
Education CEC Hussein Sugow urged beneficiaries to work hard in their studies and produce good grades in their exams.
